The invention relates generally to instant messaging systems and methods, and more particularly to secure instant messaging methods and devices.
Instant messaging communication systems have been available for many years and are used with wireless and non-wireless devices. Instant messaging is sometimes referred to as near real time text messaging from a sender (buddy) to a receiver (buddy) or chat room. This is physically accomplished using dedicated instant messaging servers. Accordingly, instant messaging is typically used for sending small, simple messages that are delivered immediately to online users. Various instant messaging vendors typically have differing non-standard and non-interoperable protocols. For example, there are several available commercial instant messaging client applications such as offered by AOL, Microsoft, and other vendors. Moreover, such instant messaging clients do not typically provide adequate information security, nor authentication mechanisms to help provide assurance of the identity of the sender of an instant message. In addition, such products typically do not provide a mechanism to help insure that an instant message conversation between or among buddies has not been redirected or hijacked.
Businesses and government entities are often very concerned about such products since their use is becoming more prevalent but do not provide the requisite security to facilitate communication of business related information that may be sensitive, or other important information wherein a sender may need to be verified by recipient.
In an attempt to overcome the problem with non-interoperability among differing instant messaging clients, one solution has been to provide a new instant messaging client that replaces the vendor installed instant messaging client to in effect bypass the previously installed vendor's instant messaging client. The new instant messaging client may interface with different instant messaging services such as the instant messaging servers of differing instant messaging providers to attempt to effect an interoperable instant messaging communication system among differing instant messaging vendors. Moreover, such replacement instant messaging clients typically replace or supplant the currently installed instant messaging client and do not allow advertisements and other information considered valuable to the instant messaging client vendors, to pass through for access by a user of the wireless or non-wireless instant messaging device.
In addition, such solutions have attempted to provide some security. For example, such replacement instant messaging clients may provide symmetric key encryption of instant messages when an instant message is initiated. However, such systems may use a password as a key which requires the password to be sent in band or out of band to other buddies. Such a system can be susceptible to attack. In addition, such systems can typically be difficult to deploy and can be effectively non-scaleable since the instant messaging buddies have to share the password with multiple people. Sharing passwords with multiple participants increases the likelihood of a breach in security. In addition, such systems do not typically allow the digital signing of instant messages since digital signature is an asymmetric cryptographic process. Accordingly, received messages cannot be verified as to whether or not a trusted sender actually sent the information. As such, replacement instant messaging clients may offer unsuitable disadvantages.
Also known are instant messaging proxy software applications that serve as a proxy to the instant messaging client executing on a client device. For example, instant messaging parental control proxy applications have been developed that serve as a proxy to a vendor's instant messaging client that is running on a client device, also referred to as an instant messaging originator or instant messaging recipient. Such proxies scan plain text messages and typically replace inappropriate words with “XX's” so that the recipient buddy cannot read the inappropriate wording through the instant messaging client when the instant messaging client renders the instant message for display. Such parental control proxies do not typically secure any instant message traffic but simply serve as a type of content scanner.
Also in instant messaging systems, are server side proxies that execute software applications that log instant messages in a database. As such, a record of an instant messages sent by an originator or received by an instant messaging recipient may be kept in a server and sent offsite for storage. Such instant messaging logging servers typically do not encrypt the instant messages nor do they provide a digital signature of the logs to prevent tampering or provide time stamping in connection with digital signatures to thwart tampering. As a result, the security of instant messaging communication may not be suitably protected for business or government operations.
Virtual private networks (VPN) are known which use a public key infrastructure (PKI) to identify participants in the VPN. Use of such public key techniques is well known in the art. VPN's typically use Diffie-Hellman to establish secure communications. After secure communications are established using Diffie-Hellman, a number of symmetric keys are exchanged for the purposes of secure communications over the VPN. Identification of participants in the VPN is accomplished using public key cryptographic techniques. However, virtual private networks do not provide public key based encryption of instant message payload data nor do they end-to-end public key-based encryption (e.g., IM client to IM client) for instant messaging. Accordingly, instant messages may be sent in clear text form or a symmetrically encrypted form to virtual private networks and from VPNs to other networks or devices thereby potentially allowing the instant messages to be intercepted and modified or detected.
Also, it is known in the art of public key cryptography to use attribute certificates as policy certificates to control desktop cryptographic operations to centrally control multiple clients to perform the same types of encryption, decryption, digital signing and signature verification operation and other operations. For example, policy certificates may be issued through a certification authority for a plurality of clients such that all clients in a company or organization are required to use the same encryption algorithm and the same cryptographic key lengths. Other policies or rules regarding the saving of documents and the encryption of information may also be dictated by policy control information embedded in a policy certificate. Such policy certificates allow a central location or computer to enforce security policies. However, instant messaging systems are not known to provide public key based security and do not typically provide centrally controllable and dynamically configurable security operation nor public key based policy certificate control of instant messaging originators or recipients.
With respect to instant messaging, it is known that instant messaging buddy lists can be set up so that an instant message from a subscriber not on the buddy list will not be allowed to communicate with another subscriber unless they are on the same buddy list. For example, the instant messaging client may drop or block an instant message from non-buddies. However, this buddy list configuration is typically configured by each individual subscriber. Generally, there is no ability to centrally replace or control groups of instant message users. Moreover, a problem arises where it may be desirable to override a buddy list in the event of an emergency. For example, it may be desirable to immediately communicate with specific instant messaging subscribers at one time in the event of an emergency. However, this would require each individual to modify their buddy list. In addition, known buddy lists are not secure and as such can potentially be modified, thereby an attacker can add or delete false buddies to intercept messages.
Accordingly, a need exists for the instant messaging device and method that facilitates improved instant messaging group communication while also providing public key security if desired.